Friday, April 17, 2009

Zombie Jesus Day Wrap-up

Without a doubt, I would have to say that this was the most successful dinner I've pulled off yet. The food was all ready on time and I wasn't running around the kitchen trying to get things together at the last minute. It's partially thanks to the menu I chose, but it's also due, in part, to my time management skills. Do as much as you can ahead of time and then you can actually greet your guests when they arrive.

The day before:- I started my "No Knead" bread dough and let it rise overnight- I baked the pecan tarts and prepared the pudding eggs

The morning of:- I baked the lemon tower cake and the breads

The afternoon of:- I scored the ham and started it cooking

An hour before:- I finished the ham- Chad peeled and diced the sweet potatoes- I roasted the asparagus (it kept well in the toaster oven on "warm")- Gabriel prepared the salad- I cooked the sweet potatoes (done in 10 minutes thanks to the pressure cooker)

The ham was incredible! We chose a pre-cooked (always choose a pre-cooked ham), 7.635 kg (that's 16.83 lbs for you imperialists) shank cut of ham. There were so many left overs that I sent doggie bags home with each of the diners! I would definitely do a ham again, as it was much less work than a turkey and much more yummy. There's also the added benefit of a pre-dinner snack when you remove the rind from the ham (tastes like bacon).

Once I've typed up the ham recipe, I'll post it. In the mean time, here is the chocolate pudding egg recipe I promised.